Film review: Wake Forest 41, Norfolk State 16
Let’s diagnose why Norfolk State was able to convert first-half third downs, and talk about what we don’t know about the Deacons
I’m not here to beat a dead horse – at least, not more than it already has been.
We know very little about Wake Forest’s football team through two games.
I’m not talking scheme or vanilla playcalls; I’m talking about how uncompetitive second halves against Old Dominion and Norfolk State have been. I’m talking about the unanswered questions of which players can be relied on certain high-pressure, game-on-the-line situations.
The Deacons haven’t had any of those situations through two games. They’re bound to have plenty in the rest of the season.
Here’s what I picked up while re-watching Saturday’s drubbing of Norfolk State:
- This first play was never going to stand as a fumble.
Probably not great to have a referee crew work a Friday 8 p.m. kick and a Saturday nooner.
- A heads up, before we get too far into this: The full video I’m using (h/t Cam) has zero sound — so if you wanted to know what I think of the announcers … oh well.
You should’ve been listening to Stan, Lary and Dave, anyway.
- Zion Keith started in place of Nasir Greer. Here was Dave Clawson on the health of Jasheen Davis and Greer:
“They have little muscle pulls that they were probably 80%. If this was our last game of the season and we had to win this game to go to the ACC championship or get to a bowl, those guys would’ve played,” he said.
“We’re healthy right now. They weren’t 100%, and sometimes you take that calculated risk of, ‘OK, can we win this one without them?’”
- The first third-down conversion for NSU — the Spartans were 6-for-9 in the first half – was a miscommunication between Keith and Ja’Sir Taylor, and I’m not sure who’s at fault.
But Keith looks like he checks to something, and the result is a wide-open Justin Smith on a drag for 18 yards. It could’ve been worse — both players chased Smith and left the tight end wide open in a deeper route.
- NSU has drained four minutes off the clock before running its eighth play — I’m curious, given the majority of teams on Wake’s schedule favor up-tempo offense, how much we’ll see keep-away offense against the Deacons.
Because if you want the non-Clemson blueprint for shutting down Wake Forest’s offense … that’s it.
- Third-and-10 conversion is a nice play by Juwan Carter to step up in the pocket and throw across the middle.
It’s Smith against Taylor again on the catch, and Taylor just seems to get beaten inside.
- Great burst by Rondell Bothroyd on this first-down sack.
- We’ll see what he does against ACC-level defenses, but I’ve been impressed so far with Luke Masterson, full-time linebacker so far.
On the play after the sack, he kind of plays peek-a-boo with the center and makes a tackle as the running back hits the hole, keeping it in third-and-long. He’s the Deacons’ leading tackler so far this season with 13.
- In the spirit of the following Clawson quote, there’s not going to be much offensive breakdown from me other than, ‘wow that looked good.’
“It’s really hard to find any fault with what we did on offense other than when you put the 2s and the 3s in, you don’t want it to drop off as much as it did,” Clawson said.
- Zach Tom pancake tracker: 1
(Blake Whiteheart nice block on the screen to Jaquarii Roberson, too)
- Christian Beal-Smith looked great – now the hope is that he’s not banged up after leaving the game.
- Sam Hartman’s touchdown run … I mean, good blocking. Good read.
It’s not going to be this easy other than when Wake Forest plays Syracuse and Duke.
- Remember how deep Wake Forest was supposed to be at linebacker?
Uhhhhhhhhh
There is a clear gap, at least to me, between Ryan Smenda Jr. and Masterson and the other linebackers.
- Here’s another NSU third-down conversion and … this one just seems like Carter makes a great read against Wake Forest’s defense.
The Deacons, on third down, want to put 5-6 players on the line of scrimmage and disguise where the pressure is coming from. If you paid attention to the Buccaneers’ defense on Thursday night, same idea. On this play, the spy is Traveon Redd and he’s lined up to the field.
Carter sees where the pressure comes from and the Deacons lose contain almost immediately, so he just turns it into a sprint to the sideline for 8 yards (it was third-and-7). Redd has no chance to get the angle.
Without knowing if Chelen Garnes and Miles Fox were supposed to stunt, it’s hard to diagnose who’s at fault here. But I also think it’s a savvy play by a good, mobile QB.
- First part of a Clawson quote:
“I think there (were) a number of third downs that if a corner just makes a tackle in the backfield, we’re off the field.”
On this third-and-4, Cameryn Brent catches a swing pass. Gavin Holmes has him lined up. Holmes goes for a big hit, doesn’t wrap. Brent rolls through him, picks up 6 yards.
- The unnecessary roughness penalty on Holmes wasn’t even shown on camera. I’ve got no idea what he did, either. He wasn’t anywhere close to the play or the in the camera frame.
- This third-and-6 on Wake Forest’s second drive was the only nervousness, I think, for the offense.
And Hartman hit Roberson with a well-placed throw that beat the coverage. Pretty simple.
- This YouTube is so choppy — part of the reason this film review isn’t going to have much to it past the first half.
- Beal-Smith’s touchdown was blocked perfectly.
- Here’s where Ivan Mora puts a kickoff out of bounds, making that two weeks in a row that he’s done that.
But here’s the thing: 10 of Mora’s 14 kickoffs have been touchbacks. That’s a fantastic percentage (71.4%) and it’s better than Jack Crane’s rate last season (59%). If he keeps up that percentage, it’s exactly what Wake Forest needs out of whoever is kicking off.
I’m sure Clawson and the staff want to see him eliminate the out-of-bounds kicks — but there’s a lot more positive here than negative, if you remember how the 2019 kickoffs went.
- 8-yard run for NSU – its only first down of this possession — is because Isaiah Wingfield misses a tackle at the line of scrimmage.
- Masterson and Royce Francis make big plays on first- and second-down, respectively.
And then third-and-11: throwing at Caelen Carson isn’t recommended.
- Ke’Shawn Williams is a budding star. It’s going to help Roberson that he won’t have play 80-90% of Wake’s offensive snaps this season.
- Third-and-5, Christian Turner runs up the middle for 8 yards. That’s mostly the offensive line getting push and creating a hole — it’s also a play call to be made when you know you’re going for it on fourth down unless you lose yards.
I don’t know how often the Deacons will have that much of a physical advantage up front after this game.
- Turner’s touchdown comes when Wake Forest goes quick after he got to the 1-yard line, and I think this is Plan B if the Heavy Deac fails in ACC play.
I mean … it didn’t work in 2019. I’m interested to see if it works (if the Heavy Deac needs to be put on the back burner).
- Here’s NSU’s touchdown drive in the first half — I don’t pick up on everything when I’m watching live, but it was clear to me that Wake’s defensive line didn’t stay disciplined on this drive and that gave NSU a large of its yards.
What I mean here is Wake’s defensive ends — it’s Luiji Vilain on the first play, which is a 9-yard run by Carter — don’t stay in their rush lanes and open up holes for the QB to run for long gains. If you’re in man coverage, you can’t have the defensive line doing these things.
- Third play of the drive, 17-yard scramble by Carter. Same culprit — Vilain came up the field too far and Carter runs to where he just came from.
- TFL for Kevin Pointer Jr., who’s a lot more important for Wake’s interior defensive line with Tyler Williams and Will Smart both on the shelf with injuries.
Pointer is a transfer from Louisiana-Monroe who seemed like more of a projectable addition than immediate impact player, but he’s been thrust into a larger role.
- You know what shaves years off of defensive coaches’ lives?
Giving up a 15-yard run by the QB on second-and-16 … because your defensive line didn’t contain the QB.
- The last two positive plays of this drive were poor plays by defensive backs.
The first is on the 28-yard pass on third-and-1 — Coby Davis should’ve been able to make a play on this ball.
The second one … was clearly somebody’s fault. Here was the Clawson quote:
“The touchdown we gave up before the half, we just — the guy who had the back didn’t cover the back,” Clawson said. “So those things are disappointing and frustrating when you have a guy with experience back there, he needs to do his job.”
Here’s the problem: I’m not sure who exactly he’s talking about. I think it’s either Ja’Sir Taylor, Traveon Redd or Smenda.
The scenario is a receiver comes in motion across the formation, and Taylor follows him for a little bit and then stops, and seems to make a check. On the snap, he sprints to the guy who was in motion — and the running back squirts out of the backfield and it’s an easy flip and catch for a touchdown.
Redd and Smenda are talking to each other in the end zone, so I’m inclined to believe they’re discussing who was supposed to be covering the back.
I just don’t know enough about the scheme — and checks to know who’s ultimately at fault here.
And on that note … I’m done here. This was an FCS win against an overmatched team — I doubt you really want too much more out of this.
Thanks for reading.